Running up the Stairs
Darke Wipsers
Disclaimer: Let me put it this way. J.K Rowling is the goddess of the Harry Potter universe. She created it, she controls it, and she can end it. I, on the other hand, am the Mayor of a small suburb in a starving country somewhere off the coast of a little known island near a little known country. Make sense?
Author's Note: This is what happens when I read fanfictions late at night. I get ideas. Shudder. Anyone who can point out the reference to a certain movie (which I was watching as I wrote this) I will review one of your stories.
"Lily, why don't you take your trunk up to your room and then we can get some lunch," Rose Evans suggested happily. Her daughter, Lily, nodded and glanced up the stairs.
Rose was shocked to see her daughter run with- surprising speed for a twelve year-old girl with a heavy trunk- up the stairs. Rose followed her up carefully to see a slightly out of breath Lily slip into her room.
"Lily?" Rose called, concerned. Lily peeked her head out of the door with a sheepish look on her face.
"Yes, Mum?" she asked, trying to sound oblivious, even though Rose knew her daughter had caught on to what she did.
"Why did you just run full speed up the stairs?" Rose asked, a rather worried smile on her face. Lily blushed and mumbled incoherently under her breath. "What was that?" the mother scolded.
"I was, erm, scared they were going to move," she stuttered. Rose stared uncomprehendingly. "You see, at Hogwarts the stupid staircases move and I always get stuck on some random floor that is insanely far from where I wanted to go, so I'm just... used to running up the stairs." she smiled as though it was perfectly normal. Rose shook her head.
"Well, I guarantee that these stairs still don't move, so why don't you walk down to dinner," Rose winked as she walked out the door. Lily laughed and walked out with her.
Daniel Evans sat at the dinner table with his two daughters while his wife got out food. He listened to Lily chat happily about classes and friends until Rose called them to the kitchen.
"Come help me bring these bowls in!" his wife called.
Daniel stood up and was closely followed by Petunia. He had made it into the entry way of the kitchen when he realized that Lily wasn't there. He returned to the dinning room to find his youngest daughter staring at the table expectantly. Daniel walked toward her slowly and put a hand on her shoulder.
"Lils? Are you okay?" he asked, waving his hand in her face. Lily's head shot up and she blinked rapidly.
"What? Oh, yeah. I'm fine." she smiled. Daniel shook his head.
"You were staring at the table. Your mother asked for help and you just started staring at the table." he said, searching her for any signs of illness.
"Oh! I'm so sorry!" Lily stuttered. "I was thinking about dinner and at Hogwarts and it just appears you see, and so I just waited, and I didn't think. I'm so sorry, it's a force of habit." she explained. Daniel laughed.
"It's okay, Silly Lily. I understand. Just, come help your mother now." he grinned as her took her hand, leading her into the kitchen.
The next morning Lily awoke happily. She was so happy to be home, even if she was a little confused. She couldn't understand how one year at a magical boarding school could confuse her so much. She lay in bed for a while, thinking, until she finally decided it was time to get up. She leaned to her right, reached her hands forward, and threw them apart.
"Aaaahhh!" she cried as she landed on the floor. Where were her curtains? Realization hit Lily's face. She didn't have curtains. She was in her room, and her room did not have a four-poster bed. Lily quickly looked around the room to make sure no one saw. Her owl hooted noisily.
"Oh, hush you!" she glared at the tawny ball of feathers near her window.
"Lily! Petunia! I'm going to the store! Can one of you sweep up the dinning floor for me? The other can do the dishes!" Petunia's mother called. Petunia rolled her eyes.
"Okay!" she called back. She was vaguely aware of Lily's positive reply as well. She was even more aware when her little sister came running down the stairs. "Quit doing that!" Petunia yelled.
"I'm sorry, Tuney. I just wanted to know who was doing what." Lily replied calmly. Petunia snorted. She acted like such an immature child. She still used that nickname!
"I'll do the dishes, since you probably don't remember how," Petunia sneered. Lily looked sadly at her sister, but didn't respond. Instead she walked off to the dinning room.
Petunia waited a few minutes before walking into the kitchen. She had just begun running the water when there was a crash. She ran toward the sound, and into the dinning room.
"What happened to you?" she mocked. Lily was sitting on the floor, a broom held arms length away. There was a broken glass next to her.
"I-I-I..." Lily stammered. Petunia continued to gaze at her. "I didn't want to fly. I picked up the broom, then I accidentally said "up", and I got scared. So I held the broom away. And it hit the glass." she said as though it explained everything.
"You actually fly on brooms?" Petunia scoffed. "What a freak."
"I don't fly. Not at all. I wasn't good at it, and I was scared to death. I. Don't. Fly." she said seriously, he voice full of fear.
"Okay. My sister is crazy. I'm going to go now." Petunia turned.
"No! Please! Would you sweep instead?" Lily whispered. Petunia sighed, but still nodded.
Later that day, Lily went over to Mrs. Caroline Jones's house to help water the plants. Caroline hadn't seen Lily in quite a long time, and was very excited to see the young girl again.
"Here you go deary. You can water the cacti, and I'll do the tomato plants, then we can do the flowers together!" she advised cheerfully. Lily smiled.
"Sure Ms. Jones. I'll race you too the flowers!" Lily smiled. Carloine laughed heartily. She missed this child's energy.
"You're on," she replied, walking quickly to her designated watering area. Lily did the same. They had been watering for a few minutes when Caroline heard a cry.
"Mimbulus Mimbletonia!" Lily yelled, staring wide-eyed at a small cactus with knobby arms. She stepped slowly away from the cactus as if she expected it to explode.
"Lily, dear! What on Earth happened?" Carloine asked fearfully. Lily slowly came back to reality. She put her hand down and composed her face.
"It looked like a plant we learned about at my school. It's a very um... poisonous plant! I just got a little scared. That's all. Really Mrs. J." Lily covered quickly. Caroline knew something was wrong with what she said, but she ignored it.
"Of course dear. Of course." she nodded, returning to her watering with halfhearted gusto.
On September 1st the next year, Lily boarded the train after saying her good-byes. She ran almost instantly into James Potter.
"Hey there, Lily-Flower!" he grinned happily, grabbing her trunk.
"Potter," she nodded in recognition. James frowned at her greeting, but continued with his usual bright attitude toward this fiery girl.
"I can't wait to go back. I really missed Hogwarts. Did you?" he pressed. Lily frowned and glared at him, but James couldn't shake the feeling she was more mad at herself than him.
"Apparently." she grinned ruefully as she followed him into an empty compartment.